Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Idul Fitri | Salatiga | Indonesia

The last two days, we've been observing the traditions in celebration of the end of Ramadaan, the fasting month. Last night, we went to the town square to watch a parade. Each of the neighborhood mosques made a float of their mosque and were judged.

Think 4th of July + New Years Eve + Super Bowl Halftime, all rolled into one. I woke up pretty much every hour, despite my iPod and sleeping pill. The same guy was praying the entire night, from our neighborhood mosque. That's some serious devotion.

This morning, we got up at 5:30 am to walk to the town square, again, to see the morning prayer. It was an incredible sight:

People as far as you could see, in every direction.

See the women? Probably not. They are behind the men, behind a rope, at the back of the field.

It was definitely an eye-opening experience, to see the devotion of that many people, all gathered in one place together.